The Bright Edge
by Ereshkigali
Summary: Tyson has learned this: love is sacrifice. [TyKa]
1. One

_(assumes Lotus position and begins breathing deeply)_ OK. I can do this. I CAN DO THIS.

This is a prologue.

At least, I hope it will be a prologue and not a lonely little oneshot. I'm about halfway through the rest of the fic, and it's busy dying a horrible, uninspireddeath, so hopefully posting this now will motivate me to finish it. Thanks go to Ranger, my_(coughs_) beta-reader. Although really all she does is sit next to me at the computer and twist every single world I write. This is because she is gifted with brain-breaking abilities beyond the measure of mortals.I hope you're happy, Ranger: I will never see turnips in the samelight again, and it is ALL YOUR FAULT.

So. Tyson and Kai are presumably going to fall in love, making this shonen-ai.And I don't own Beyblade.And...uh...enjoy? _(crosses fingers)_

**One**

It had all started on that one golden evening so long ago, when Kai had stood poised on the brink of the slope and looked down to the river.

The air had been warm even though the first traces of dusk were bruising the edges of the bright sky, and the deep, sweet scent of late summer and clear water had been floating on the breeze. He had come there to find the keeper of Dragoon, and had found instead a boy.

That one boy was to change the world.

That afternoon had been the beginning of everything: it had been the start of what felt like one long, golden, almost unreal dream. At the Regional Tournament, Kai was defeated for the first time he could remember. It had been unacceptable; he hadn't been able to understand it. He did not lose. This was not supposed to happen. It was _not supposed to happen_.

Strangely, he hadn't felt bad about it. This boy was different to everyone else. This boy, a full two years his junior, had looked at him with the same painful naivety of all rookies, had been as full of hope and hot air as the rest of them, had been just as unskilled and clueless as all the others – but he had won.

Kai knew it right then: this kid, this Tyson, was special. He had something inside of him – a spark of greatness, the promise of power. Kai could see it. He could look Tyson in the face and see someone who would someday do the undoable, bring down the unbeatable, run headlong into the last, hopeless fight and win it for what he believed in.

That was when Kai had begun to understand – that if he ever wanted to be the best, that if he ever, ever wanted to succeed, it would be Tyson who stood in his way. It would be Tyson whom he would have to defeat.

And Tyson was the only one he never could defeat.

* * *

Sometimes he worked so hard that he could hardly see afterwards. His veins felt as though they had been filled with glue, and his lungs refused to work. His fingers were worn bloody, then healed over, then sliced open again. Tyson was one who gave him the strength to do this. He had to defeat him. It was the one thing he'd wanted more than anything else for nearly three years now. 

When they finally battled, it was as though he had given up his entire life just for that one moment – just for that one moment of eternity, for that one glimpse of endless power. He was allowed to touch the stars for one split second, and it had been like going home for the first time in his life, because Tyson had been there with him. They had been apart for so long, and now they were together again, and nothing had changed. They had found each other. That was all that mattered.

When he lost, he wasn't disappointed in himself; he was proud of Tyson. He knew that they would fight again soon; and suddenly he couldn't wait for that moment. He would train hard, and he would grow stronger than ever, and he would beat him. He would do it. He would do the impossible, and he would do it for Tyson.

All for Tyson. It was all for Tyson.

Always.

* * *

Brooklyn was drowning him, slowly. 

The golden dream was fading away as though it had never been there. Everything that his friends had ever tried, tentatively, to give him, was disappearing. Hope, support, courage, even Tyson's fierce and inexplicable loyalty – none of it mattered.

The battle was over, and he had lost. Kai knew that he had. The colour was seeping out of the world, and things were blurring out of focus as he felt himself beginning to slip through the lips of life. Intention and thought were dying; words pulled themselves apart from the inside with slow, impersonal malice. Nothing meant anything anymore. Dranzer, Beyblading, victory, honour – they were all gone.

They had meant something to him once, but now he felt nothing. As he drifted further and further away from the world, closer to the bright edge of death, he could no longer remember what it felt like to love. He knew that because of this, Beyblading was going to be under Boris's control; he knew that his failure would mean that the one thing he had worked for and believed in was going to be ruined forever.

He knew that with his loss, he had betrayed everyone and everything he had ever cared for – but he couldn't seem to feel upset about it. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. With a reckless sense of calm, he knew that he was dying, and he honestly didn't care.

He had lost. It was over. He was gone.

And then _Tyson_ had reminded him what life felt like. _Tyson_ was the only one who could reach him, who could help him back up. _Tyson_ was the one he'd worked so hard to defeat, and he refused to rest until he had proven himself. He would not do Tyson the dishonour of giving in. He could not let Tyson see him lose.

Brooklyn was nothing. Brooklyn was just an obstacle. Obstacles could be taken care of.

Kai won.

* * *

Pathetically, Tyson's heartbeat was the only sound that mattered to him. 

It steadied him, giving him a place to come home to, giving him a refuge, for however small a time. The crowd was cheering all around them, and the commentator's voice was echoing through the stadium, and people were talking and arguing, but it was that one singular, human heartbeat, loud and frightened, to which Kai listened.

Although it was short-lived, it was that moment of warmth that anchored him in the world, and that gave him the courage to walk away, his entire body feeling as though it were going to fall apart with each step. This was Tyson's battle now; he was the one who would win this.

Kai believed in him.

The air outside the stadium was cold, and his head was ringing painfully, black bursts of starry light swamping his vision. The sickening, intrusive pain in his chest had doubled, his legs shaking so badly that he could hardly walk.

He had barely registered the fact that he was falling before he hit the ground. He crumpled against the wall, leaning his forehead against the cool surface. Slowly, slowly, his fingers flopped open, and he felt the Beyblade slip from them for the last time.

Dranzer died then.

It was as though Kai had been scraped out of his body and thrown away. He felt hollow; he felt light-headed, robbed of everything. He was a husk of cold horror. Only a few, small pieces of his mind were left alive, shrivelled and battered.

It hurt, and that was good. He was able to feel this pain, this resilient, disbelieving devastation, and know that it hadn't been for nothing. He had won. He had won the last battle he would ever fight, the one battle that would help to save the things he loved. The pain, the exhaustion, the loss – they could all be endured.

The look in Tyson's eyes had made everything worthwhile.

For as long as Kai could remember, he had been on the outside looking in, watching the others quietly from a distance. He was fighter by nature, but in this one aspect, he had been hesitant to break in. The circle of friends had been complete, arrayed in a golden symmetry: and no matter how brightly Tyson had smiled up at him, Kai had always been uncomfortable, unwilling to touch the charmed, glowing pattern in case it imploded in a drift of ashes.

He had always been standing outside in the grey silence by himself, strong in solitude and aware of everything; and now, for the first time, he could tell himself that he had truly played his part. He had done what he'd set out to do, finally and forever: and the things that he loved, the things that truly mattered, would never die.

For Kai himself, it was all over. His time had ended. The struggles, the battles, the exhilaration: all of it was gone, slipping away – but this time, he knew that he could survive, and not merely in the physical sense. His life might end, but something else outside him would go on. His sacrifice had meant something - to Tyson. It didn't even seem like a sacrifice anymore: it had been necessary, and it had been right, and that was all that mattered.

Faintly, he knew that he would miss Tyson terribly, but he could bear that. He had done it. He had achieved the last goal; he had done the undoable. Tyson had been depending on him, and Kai hadn't failed him. It was Tyson's turn now - he was the one who would go on. That was how Kai wanted it to be.

Gulping down air between dry lips, he pressed his hands to the cold wall, and slowly pulled himself up, steadying himself. He sucked down breath after burning breath, his body feeling brittle and feverish, his head ringing with black pain. The blood seeping from the wounds on his chest was already beginning to clot thanks to the prolonged contact with oxygen, becoming rubbery and sticky, fusing the cloth of his shirt to his skin.

He took one step, and found that he could walk. Away from the noise, away from the brightness, he dwindled into the grey, cold world, on fire with pain. Leaving everything behind, he walked out into the open air, and let the pale autumn sunlight rinse through him like water.

It was Tyson's turn now.

* * *

**Reshki:** I don't know...ah, hell, I really don't... 

**The Voice of Reason:** Uh, yeah, hi - I _really _thought you'd given up fanfiction?

**Reshki:** So did I. Excuse me. _(climbs into shoebox and goes to sleep)_

**The Voice of Reason:** _(mails shoebox to Antarctica)_

**Inspiration:** Quick thinking, that.

**The Voice of Reason:** Shut up.

**Inspiration:** Thank you. _(waves at theuniverse in general)_ Hello. I'm Inspiration. Reviews will help me to grow up big and strong...


	2. Two

Annnnd I'm back! Thank you for all the lovely reviews! No, Kai isn't dead, because then he couldn't fall hopelessly in love with Tyson, could he? I was just Upping the Tension. It's perfectly legal in fanfiction.

Beyblade isn't mine. Wow. That's one for the records.

This chapter is dedicated to Triste, to say thanks, because you are an awesome writer and a really cool person. _(grins madly and hands out fluffy kittens)_

**Two**

I have a newspaper clipping in my room.

Well, actually, it's sort of stuffed into a drawer, folded up real tiny, so that I can look at it whenever I want to, but that's not important.

It's the one that got published the day after we finally put the lid on BEGA for good, and it took up the whole front page, as well as a lot of page three. Hey, maybe it's just me, but when some kid flattens a bunch of skyscrapers and creates a parallel universe with his freaky psychic powers, I'd say that's gonna be big news.

Right slap bang in the middle of the page is a photograph. It got to be pretty famous after they bounced it over to just about every news station in the world. I've got to admit, if you saw it, you'd probably say it doesn't look like much. Just your basic, average photo of two team-mates hugging after a win, right?

…and if you want to get fussy, it's not even a real a hug…I mean, it lasted, like, two seconds, and I was too freaked out to hug him back, so it does look a lot like he's actually trying to _strangle_ me or something…

But I like to call it a hug.

OK, press pause for a sec. You guys still with me so far?

Cool. Now rewind a bit.

* * *

"Kai! Hey – hey, Kai!"

"Tyson, get back here!" I heard Kenny calling after me. "You're hurt!"

"Relax, Chief, I'm only – nah, he's gone again." I had caught only the briefest glimpse of a face before it had disappeared, swallowed up by the crowd. Feeling a little disappointed, I pulled a face and picked my way back to the boulder-sized block of reinforced concrete I'd been sitting on, wincing slightly as the pain in my chest flared up. Remind me never to pick a fight with Brooklyn again. The guy might want to look into a couple of anger management sessions. Sheesh.

"I'm sure Kai will be back," Kenny said, calmingly. "Come on, Tyson. You need to stay put."

"Aw, Kenny, I'm fine!" I protested, puffing loudly at the strands of hair dangling in my face. I'd lost my hat somewhere back in that Beybattle. No big deal, but I'd liked that hat. "Those paramedic dudes strapped me up good and tight. I am one hundred per cent A-OK and ready for action!"

"No, you're not," Kenny sighed. "_Listen_ to me. You have to stay right here, or you're only going to make it worse."

"If you say so," I pouted, sticking my nose in the air and crossing my arms over my chest, which hurt. OK, I'll admit that it did sting a little, but I was not going to complain about that. Kai had been through _way_ worse, and he had taken it in silence. "I still think you're making a big fuss about nothing."

"Oh, dear," Kenny groaned. "Can't you calm down and take it easy for _once_? You can't save the world all the time, you know."

His patience, and his tolerance…it made me feel kind of guilty. The same feeling had been nagging at me ever since the reporters had started clamouring to me – to me, and not to any of the others. Kenny…he's, like, my oldest friend, and he gets overlooked so much! A lot of people get overlooked. I guess that was why the guys left the Bladebreakers in the first place: they wanted a chance to prove themselves. Hey, it's not like I _wanted_ all the fame or anything. Sharing the spotlight with your best friends…in my book, that's better than doing it alone any day.

So I looked over at Kenny, gratefully, and said in a quiet voice, "Hey, I wouldn't have saved the world at all if it hadn't been for your super cyber techno-skills of doom." I grinned wryly, and added, "Thanks, Chief – for everything. You know we couldn't have done it without you."

His mouth twisted up in that faint, shy little smile of his. "We did what we had to, Tyson. We stuck together and we set things right, and now it can all go back to normal."

"Yeah, I guess," I said, and grinned again, flashing Kenny a thumbs-up. "OK, enough of that. Sappy stuff chokes me up. What do you say? Think the guys'll be up for a movie tonight?"

"Tyson! We're all tired, and we all need _rest_ – you most of all! If Hilary hears you talking like this she'll lock in your room and make you stay there for a month!"

"Well, I'm not going to let her hear me talking like this, am I?"

"You need to recuperate! If Dragoon's stats are worrying, just think of what yours must be like!"

"But, Kenny…"

"Kenny is absolutely right, Tyson!" Hilary said into my ear, making me jump about a metre high, pain poking at my ribs again.

"Hilary, don't _do_ that!" I spluttered as soon as I could talk, twisting around to see her smirking smugly. "You could give a guy a heart attack, sneaking around like that!"

"If it gets you to listen to me, then good!" she said, sternly. "My concern right now is making sure that you don't get yourself killed!"

"But – "

"I am under strict orders from Mr Dickinson to take you home and make sure you get some rest!"

"Aw, man!"

"Oh, and your grandpa said that if your room isn't cleaned up by the time he gets back then you're in trouble."

"_What_? I thought I was supposed to be the invalid over here!"

"That's the thing you've got to watch about Hilary," Kenny said knowingly, sounding just a little too pleased about it all. "She's a lot tougher than she looks."

"Hey, whose side are you on?" I asked him, indignantly.

"Tyson! At least pay attention when I'm yelling at you!"

"Yes, ma'am," I mumbled, sullenly. I didn't want to leave. The wind was all dry and dusty, and the hot sunlight was giving me a headache, and my chest was stinging, but I hadn't found Kai yet.

See, I knew Kai was still nearby: our old, unspoken understanding let me know, with unshakeable certainty, that he was close, watching me. I couldn't bear to leave without having spoken to him just one last time. I mean, even the thought of it made my throat burn with sadness, a small, clear lump of heavy unhappiness tightening in my chest. It wasn't fair.

"…Tyson?" Hilary was asking, squinting at me. "Hey – you sure alright? What's up?"

"Wha – oh, nothing!" I said, hastily. "Just…I don't know, thinking and stuff."

"About?" Hilary prompted, her hands on her hips.

"…stuff! Yeah, just like I said, stuff!"

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'd be willing bet a lot of money that by saying 'stuff' he's in fact referring to Kai," Kenny remarked, wisely.

"Aha!" Hilary exclaimed, smiling happily. "So it's _Kai_ you're zoning out over?"

"No, it's not! Geez, you guys, what does _he_ have to do with anything?" I burst out, hotly, shooting a very dirty at look at Kenny, who merely adjusted his glasses demurely. Typical Chief.

"Well, if it's not him, then what's wrong?" Hilary persisted.

"Hey, hey, what is this, Everyone-Gang-Up-On-Tyson Day?"

"Oh, trust me, you don't want Kenny and I to gang up on you," she warned, narrowing her eyes and shoving her face in mine.

"Aw, you're not so tough," I scoffed, feeling kind of relieved that the conversation had moved away from Kai. Weird how saying one little name can hurt so much, huh? "I could take on a whole bunch of thugs, never mind you two losers! Pow!" I waved an imaginary kendo stick around in the air, screwing up one eye, my tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. "You take 'em down like this, see, bam! And one, and two, left, right, bang! And they're out for the count! Yeah! Tyson is king of the world, baby!"

"Tyson!" Kenny interrupted, horrified. "We do not do anything of the sort! Violence is never the answer!"

"Yes, it is!" Hilary and me shouted as one.

"No, it's not! It only ends in tears!" He considered this, and gulped. "My tears!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Chief," I said, calming down a little as the dizziness came back. I rubbed my chest gingerly to try and knead out the pain. 'Course, Hilary spotted it. That girl is going drive me crazy one of these days.

"You," she said, eyeing me, "are going to take it easy. We've been playing around way too much. It's time to get you home."

"Do we have to?"

"_Yes_," Kenny sighed in exasperation.

"But…couldn't we…I don't know, hang around here for a bit longer?"

"Now why would you want to do a boring thing like that?" Hilary asked suspiciously.

I flapped a hand lamely, shifting uncomfortably. "Didn't we just do the whole interrogation thing already? 'Sides, since when is everything I do your business?"

"Stop avoiding the question!" Hilary snapped.

"Relax, Hilary," Kenny said, that small, understanding smile of his deepening. "We know it's about Kai, Tyson. It's alright. We'll wait for a bit more if you want to. He's sure to be around here somewhere, and we'd also like to say goodbye, you know."

I hesitated for the littlest bit of time, and then bit my lip and shook my head. I said, as breezily as possible, "Nah, it's alright, Chief. I'll…we'll…see him around sometime, and…and I'm kind of hungry, anyway. Guess we should bounce."

Without waiting for a reply, I leapt up, and then regretted it. My vision went all blurry for a sec, and I guess I must have swayed on the spot a bit, 'cause Hilary clicked her tongue crossly and caught at my elbow, and Kenny hopped down quickly, tucking his laptop away safely under one arm, and slipping the other around my back.

"Take it easy, you," Hilary ordered, tucking my arm around her shoulder as Kenny slung the other over his. "We're going take this nice and slow, one little baby step at a…"

"It's OK, Hil, I can walk," I muttered, but not really crossly. I blinked rapidly while I waited for the world to stand still again. It was going round and round…kind of like this huge Beyblade, actually…whoa. Get a grip, Tyson. It was a lot harder to walk than I'd thought it would be. I wasn't too badly hurt, but I was pretty wiped, I guess. Hey, it had been a tough battle. Brooklyn sure is one awesome blader. "Come on, you guys. Let's go home."

So there we were: me leaning on Hilary's shoulder, Kenny helping me walk, picking our way through the debris. I tried to act casual about it, but I couldn't help glancing around every now and then. I kept feeling so certain I was just about to see Kai. I'd see something out of the corner of my eye, and whip my head around, small explosions of nervousness going off in my chest, only to find that I'd totally imagined it. Knowing that Kai was so close was freaking me out, and I mean that. I _knew_ he was around somewhere. I _knew_ it, and I was getting close to tears because of it. After everything he'd done – after so long – I needed to talk to him again. I needed to see him just one last time. I was aching for him, for his voice, for his eyes.

All I wanted was to see him again.

What was I doing, walking away like this? What was I, crazy? There was still time…we could still find him…I could still tell him…that…

Who was I kidding? The guy was nowhere to be seen.

I think I was more disappointed than anything else. The whole time I was preparing for that last battle – I guess I was thinking of him. Kai, I mean. I'd had this little hope – this little wish, almost – that after it was all over, after I'd won, he'd hug me, and say something like, "Well done, pal! I'm proud of you!"

Yeah, that was going to happen, seeing as Kai just _loves_ hugging people so much. Big ol' ball of sunshine, he is.

I wanted to look up at him and see him smiling down at me, his face happy and content, his eyes filled with pride. Is that strange or what? I wanted to see him again, just one last time. I wanted…I really wanted to fight him again, maybe when we were both feeling a bit better. Beyblading – it's my favourite thing in the whole word, you know? And Kai is the most amazing rival I could ever have hoped for. I'm lucky to have him as an opponent.

I stumbled over a rock, practically falling flat on my face, and making Hilary glare at me. I said, more to stop myself thinking about Kai than for any other reason, "Hey, Hil, you haven't seen my grandpa around, have you?"

"Hmm," she said, laying a finger to her lips, like she was thinking really hard. "Last I saw, he was talking to some reporters. He looked like he was enjoying himself."

"What? Oh, now I _know_ you're trying to give me a heart attack," I wailed. "Please tell me you're making that up."

"Come to think of it, I'm quite sure I saw him with a news crew earlier," Kenny agreed, thoughtfully, a small grin flickering on his face.

"Ah, not good, dude!" I yelped. "I _knew_ this was going to happen! Oh, man, I just know he's going to say something _really_ embarrassing, or…"

And that's when it happened.

I stopped dead in the middle of the sentence. I stopped walking, too. My pulse skyrocketed. Kai was behind me – I knew he was. I just knew it. It was almost like something had brushed the back of my neck, like this powerful surge of loneliness and longing had stretched out and clutched at me. He was calling me. I turned around, gently shrugging Hilary's arm off my shoulder, and saw him.

The idiot looked like someone from this really bad slasher flick or something, all covered in bandages. His face was bandaged up so much you could barely even see his one eye! And…the expression on his face…oh, man…

You know, it's not every day you see Kai looking sad.

When you do - it breaks your heart.

His eyes found mine, and for a second, I couldn't breathe. My heart was too full for me to think. I'd never seen him look so desolate: standing all alone, hurt and sad, while his gaze, pained and tired, clung to mine. My throat suddenly feeling very full, I broke away from Kenny and started to run. I couldn't help it. It was like something was pulling me to him: Kai, my _friend_, needed me.

With every step, my head got lighter, and it was starting to get difficult to see. The world was kind of pulling a little merry-go-round number on me…and wow, I'd never known that breathing could be so difficult…I felt myself go limp, and I suddenly couldn't stand up any more. My legs just buckled underneath me, and I was spilling over to the side, slumping down towards the ground.

"Tyson, no!"

A hand gripped my elbow, and the world righted itself. Slowly, my vision cleared, and I looked up at Kai, who was staring down into my face, one heavily-bandaged hand fastened around my arm, the other wrapped securely around my waist, pulling me close. My stomach gave a weird little lurch, half happy, half totally nervous. My hands were kind of squashed up against his chest, draped over his shoulders.

For a moment we stared at each other, completely forgetting about the rest of the world. I was frantically scrutinising his face to see if he was in pain, to see if he was alright – but the only expression in his visible eye was worry. Wordlessly, he looked down at me, his lips parted, so that he seemed almost frightened.

"What do you think you're doing, you moron?" he asked at last, his voice faint, the words barely making their way out of his mouth. "You need to take it easy, unless you've got some kind of death wish."

"Death wish? Me? Oh, well, look who's talking! Geez, Kai, you're the one who looks like he just flew in direct from Ancient Egypt!" I retorted, snapping back into reality. Note to self: next time, don't run. I tried to pull away, but he tightened his arm around me, holding me closely against him.

"Don't try and act smart, Tyson," he warned, staring down at me sternly. So much for being concerned. Seemed like he was back to his mean old self.

"Kai! I mean it! You look like…like that old Cenotaph dude or something!" I almost yelled. "You should be in hospital!"

"There's no point," he said, smoothly, as Hilary and Kenny came running up. Discreetly, he let go of me, and pushed me back a little. "I just came to see if you were alright. Obviously you are, so I've wasted my time."

"No! Hold up, man!" I grabbed his arm as he turned away, blinking away light-headedness as I did so. Another note to self: no sudden movements. He looked back over his shoulder archly, moving as powerfully and gracefully as ever, showing no sign of any injury. Hah. Nice try. I'd seen him wince. I said, firmly, "C'mon, Kai. Can't you hang around for a little bit?"

"Yeah, Kai," Hilary piped up. "Where else are you going to go, anyway?"

He shrugged sullenly, and swung himself round to face us again, keeping his eyes downcast. OK, so he wasn't going to surprise us all by suddenly turning into Mr Talkative. What else is new?

"How's Tala?" Kenny asked, mostly to break the silence, I guess.

"Mr Dickinson sent him back to the hospital," Kai answered, tonelessly.

"Is he going to be alright?" Hilary asked, sounding pretty worried.

"Of course he is," he snapped.

"Touchy," Hilary remarked, blinking. "You want to calm down there, Kai? We're just trying to be nice." To me, she said, in a loud stage whisper, "Well, _I _certainly don't know what you see in this guy, Tyson."

"Excuse me?" Kai enquired, acidly, raising his visible eyebrow.

I could feel myself starting to go red, my face flushing. "Hilary!" I muttered, out of the corner of my mouth. "That's not funny!" To Kai, I said, loudly, "Heh, you know girls…sure can say crazy stuff, don't you – ouch! Hilary, get off! What's that for?"

"For being sexist!"

"Who said I was sexist?"

"Me! Because you are!"

I eventually managed to yank my ear out of Hilary's grip. Kenny was giggling uncontrollably. I looked over to Kai, and caught his eye. Feeling myself starting to blush all over again, I shrugged, helplessly, rubbing the back of my neck. He rolled his eyes and gave a little snort of disdain, but I could have sworn there was the faintest hint of a laugh playing around his lips. Something in my stomach gave a little wriggle.

A large hand clapped itself down on my shoulder, and Mr D was booming into my ear, "Well done, well done, my boy! Most impressive – but we all knew you could do it, of course."

"Hey, Mr Dickinson!" I said, turning round, and taking it slowly this time. No point in fainting. "Nice to see you, sir – hey, d'you know if old Tala's going to be OK?"

"Oh, yes, yes, he should be fine, provided he gets some proper rest and a few more days' observation. Now, Hilary, Kenny, there are some reporters over there who are very anxious to interview the technical advisors behind all this…would you mind having a word?"

"Oh, sure, Mr D!" Hilary said, grabbing Kenny and towing him away in the direction Mr D had pointed out. "We'll see you in a bit, Tyson! And don't you do anything dumb!"

"Kids these days," Mr Dickinson muttered, chuckling. "So enthusiastic…oh, but what am I saying – you're kids too, isn't that right, young Kai?"

"I'm not a kid," Kai informed him, shortly.

"I suppose you already had your turn with the press, didn't you?" Mr Dickinson asked. "Ah, that explains the frown! Never been much of a talker, have you?"

"No."

"Ah, that's nothing we don't all know by now," Mr D said, cheerfully. "Well, you two, I should probably be off. The BBA's going to be back in business any day now, you know!"

And off he went. "Bye, Mr D!" I yelled after him, before turning around to catch Kai watching me, almost longingly. I swear, that's what it looked like. Our gazes locked for one second, and I could _tell_ that he was upset, but then his face closed up again, and he looked away smoothly, unhurriedly.

"Uh…so…what did you tell the reporters?" I asked him, fidgeting a bit. I don't like uncomfortable silences.

He raised an eyebrow – well, actually the only eyebrow he could raise, seeing as the rest of his face was all covered over. Ouch. "If you think I would waste my time talking to clueless loudmouths like them, then…"

"Hey, dude, they're just trying to make a living," I said, sighing. "I'm betting you said 'no comment' and walked off."

"Well done," he said, sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Got any other cute questions to ask, or am I allowed to leave?"

"Leave?" I stammered. "Leave where? Where're you going to go?"

"You don't need to know."

I almost panicked as a frightening thought hit me. "Dude…you're not going back to Russia, are you?" I checked, quickly.

"I told you, you _don't need to know_."

"Yes, I do!" I said, suddenly starting to get really scared. "Kai, please, just tell me where you're going to be! C'mon, man, don't leave me hanging again!"

For a moment he almost looked apologetic. "Don't worry," he said, quietly, as he turned to go. "I'll be around, Tyson. I promise I will."

"No!" I burst out, and lurched forward to grab his arm again, this time with both hands. I felt his arm jerk and heard his breathing catch as I swung him round to face me. His face was tensed up, and he was breathing in and out through his nose very steadily and quickly. So he _was_ hurt. I said, accusingly, almost shaking with anger, "You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"

"I'll manage," he said, looking down.

"Let me get this straight," I continued, tugging him closer to me so that I could peer up into his face – but gently. Hey, the guy had taken a serious amount of damage, even if he wasn't showing it. "You were just going to walk off into the blue like that when you _know_ you've got nowhere to go?"

Trying to wrench his arm away from my grip, he snapped, "Yes, Tyson, I was."

"Well, we can't have that, now, can we?" I asked, brightly. "Hey, I know! Tell you what, Kai – you come over to my place for tonight. You can hang around till we've fixed you up somewhere else to go."

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said, slowly, still avoiding my eyes.

"Sure it is! Daichi's going over to Max's place for a while, so we've got plenty of room! C'mon, it'll be fun!" I let go of his arm and clasped my hands together, pushing my lower lip out as far as it would go. "Pretty please? For me?"

For a long, long time he was quiet. I let my hands fall down to my sides, stuffing them in my pockets, and waited. Finally, without looking at me, he said, in this dry little whisper, "Fine."

"Alright!" I cheered. "Wasn't so hard, was it? C'mon, man, let's get out of here. I'm starving."

He nodded, swallowing, and then looked up, his hair falling in his face. His arm almost shaking, he reached out for my hand, his cold, rough fingers, half-covered in bandages, closing around mine. Suddenly sounding exhausted, he said, "Tyson…" and then stopped. He stared at me, mutely, his mouth all twisted up, like he was trying to say something, but couldn't find the words. He shook his head helplessly and looked down again, squeezing my hand so tightly it hurt.

You know how people always pinch themselves to see if they're dreaming or not?

Yeah, well, I considered trying it then.

"Kai…are you…hey, man, what's up?" I asked, hoping my voice wouldn't squeak too badly.

He looked up, slowly, and our eyes met. He whispered, "Nothing."

I said, "Are you…?"

And then his arms were around me, and I was squashed up against his chest, my hands trapped against his shoulders. I could hear his breathing, harsh and shaky and almost whimpering as he rested his cheek on the top of my head. My face buried in the hollow of his neck, I nuzzled at his cold skin for a moment, hearing myself give a little sigh halfway between contentment and surprise. I could hear his heartbeat thrumming through his whole body, racing just as fast as mine.

It was _nice_. I felt like my whole body was going to flutter apart, I was trembling so hard. I relaxed into him, closing my eyes, and sighed again, my hands curving around his neck.

I could have stayed like that forever.

He let go of me slowly, and stood staring down at me as though he couldn't believe he was actually looking at me. Wordlessly, I took his hand, and gently slung his arm over my neck. He leaned heavily against me with a clipped, pain-filled sigh, burying his face in my shoulder.

"OK, take it easy, pal," I whispered. "We're going to get you out of here."

"Where?" he asked, hoarsely.

"Home," I said, firmly.

* * *

OK, so here's the deal with me popping up all random and deciding to write this: I am currently on summer vacation. I am also currently very bored, mostly because **a)** I have no social life, **b)** I have no decent TV shows to watch, **c)** I have nothing to read because I am broke, and **d)** I am in severe withdrawal from lack of TyKa and guy/guy mushiness in general.

Plus, you know the voice-over at the end of Tyson's battle against Brooklyn, just after they cut to the ending scene? It says something about BEGA's defeat having been several months ago. I always thought, "Well, what exactly _happened_ during those months? What could have led to Kai and Tyson lying on a warm, sunny hillside gazing into each other's eyes all happy and cutesy-like?"

This fic is my answer to that question.

Review?


	3. Three

There are little people who live in my locker and eat my homework. Really, there are. I think there are little people whole live in my brain, too, and they eat my inspiration. _(falls over, breaking several bones in the process)_ Anyveh, friendly friends, thanky-thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter.

This chapter is ick. Icky, icky, ick. _(pulls blankets over head)_ Sorry. Um, contained herein is some guy/guy vagueness of the Tyson-is-cute-and-Kai-is-distant variety, proving just how original the plot bunnies have been recently (note to self: damn plot bunnies need their steroids). Oh, and believe it or not, I don't own Beyblade.

Yummy yum, I be using GRev eye colours. Gotta keep up with the guys' contact lens preferences, you know…

**Three **

After the first few minutes, Tyson's eyelids slid closed, and he slumped against Kai with a soft grunt. Kai kept walking, slowly, dragging each foot forward with meticulous concentration. The sharp, glistening pain from before had spread out to become a dry ache that filled his entire body with sleepy heaviness. He kept himself going with the knowledge that he had only to walk a few more blocks, and then they would be at the dojo, and Tyson would be safe, and he could rest.

The thin, harsh sunlight of early autumn was making him sweat, even after having walked for so short a time. He was worn out, he acknowledged, grudgingly. His vision seemed overlaid with a corrosive film of grey liquid, staining all the colours with dullness, draining them away. He was beginning to be afraid – this was what it had been like after that first time that Brooklyn had defeated him, when he had drifted through the world like a ghost, feeling nothing and seeing nothing, caught up in a flat, unchanging landscape of shallow sights and purposeless noises.

He shook away the dread, and focused instead on the soft, solid body that leaned against him, so close and heavy and hot that it was as though Tyson had melted into him. Kai listened carefully to Tyson's breathing – it was erratic, catching hoarsely with each step.

He kept walking, ignoring the formless, unreal world around him, focusing only on his feet and Tyson's, making sure that they both kept walking. If he stopped, he wasn't sure he would have the energy to start again. Gravity seemed to be stronger than usual, pulling him down towards the earth more insistently than ever before. Red, muted pain was pooling in his arms, stabbing at his lungs with blunt knives.

On and on they walked. Kai's field of vision had narrowed to include only the sidewalk. The sky seemed to have blurred away. Every now and then the swoosh of a car shooting past would register; once, he heard the sound of an ambulance's sirens in the distance. Tyson wasn't the only person Brooklyn had hurt that day, it seemed.

"Kai? Hey, hold up, bud," Tyson whispered, almost imperceptibly. Kai stopped, and turned to look at him. Frowning, Tyson lifted his head and looked around blearily, blowing hair out of his eyes. "What are we doing here?" he asked, glancing up at Kai quizzically. "The dojo's back there."

"Oh," Kai said, through cold lips. Looking around, he realised that they'd walked several metres too far. "Sorry."

"Hey, you were trying to kidnap me, weren't you?" Tyson accused him, in a bright but wobbly voice, steering them back towards the dojo. "Yeah, well, the gig is up, Secret Agent Kai! I know your secret! Hah!"

"Remind me again why anyone would _want_ to kidnap you?" Kai enquired, tetchily, as they passed through the high walls of the gate to Tyson's home.

"Because I have top secret access codes that can shut down the enemy base, and we've only got twenty-four hours before the entire world is brainwashed! I will not give in! You'll never take me alive!"

"Somebody's had too many martinis," Kai muttered caustically as he helped Tyson up the steps, his own legs feeling numb and clumsy.

"The name's Granger. Tyson Granger - yikes!"

As they reached the top step, Kai's foot twisted over, and, pulling Tyson down with him, he crashed to the ground, his knees striking the wooden planks hard, sending a thick, jangling pain jolting through him. The grey shadow that had been hanging around him like an old, musty curtain closed in, obscuring his vision, smothering his face with soft, velvety folds. White sparks showered down around him, and he was coughing uncontrollably, his lungs feeling as though they'd been filled with tiny pieces of glass.

Gradually, the coughing subsided, and Kai looked up weakly. Tyson was sitting curled up against a pillar, his eyes closed, whimpering slightly with each breath. Furious with himself for his own stupid weakness, Kai scrambled over to him as quickly as he could, determinedly ignoring the pain that was steadily filling him again.

"Tyson?" he croaked out, his eyes burning, his throat raw. Tyson suddenly seemed very young and soft, huddled up into himself, his face pained and tight, his brow furrowed, the absence of his hat only highlighting his defencelessness. "Tyson, please look at me!" he snapped, angrily.

"Mmph," Tyson said, his eyes flickering open. "Ouch. Geez, Kai, what was all that for?"

"Clam it and get up," Kai ordered, shaky relief settling in his stomach as he moved away and began getting gingerly to his feet.

"Did you trip?" Tyson asked, his bangs falling into his face as he gazed up at Kai. "Are you alright?"

"I take it you have a key?" Kai enquired, steadily ignoring Tyson and glowering instead at the door.

"Kai!" Tyson pressed. "Dude, answer me! Are you sure you're OK?"

"Do you have the key?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've got the dumb old key," he grumbled, shifting to one side where he sat so that he could fish around in the pocket of his jacket. "Er…well, I _had_ the key…"

"Tyson…"

"…don't worry, it's got to be here somewhere…"

"This is pathetic."

"…promise you, I know I had it…oh, found it!" Tyson sang out triumphantly, holding the small, gold key up to Kai and beaming, the plastic tag attached to it fluttering in the wind.

"Congratulations." Kai snatched the key from Tyson's warm fingertips and jabbed it into the lock, desperate to get Tyson inside and somewhere where he could rest. He didn't want Tyson to be hurt anymore than he already was. It was scaring him, fear and concern eating away at him from the inside, making him feel almost sick with worry. He couldn't let Tyson suffer anymore – not Tyson. Not like this.

The door swung open, and he almost fell inside. For a moment he clung to the door, pressing his cheek against the cold, painted surface to try and wake himself up. Then he turned to help Tyson, who had let his eyes close again. Kneeling down beside him, he put his mouth to his ear and murmured, "Wake up."

"Don't wanna," Tyson informed him, yawning. "'M asleep." Then, as Kai took his arm and pulled him up roughly, "Hey, muscle man, chill, will you?"

"Get inside," Kai said, frustrated, and more than slightly frightened. He knew he was overreacting, not something he often did, but he was having difficulty justifying the idea of acting as though nothing had happened. He could not get the image of Tyson lying battered in the rubble out of his head; it had seeped into his mind, making him come close to panic when he thought about what could have happened. "You're going to kill yourself like this."

"I am not!" Tyson said as he pried his shoes from his feet and slouched lazily through the door. "Is that what's been eating you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai snapped, setting the spare key down on a small table and stooping down to remove his own shoes.

Tyson grinned slyly, nudging Kai in the arm with an elbow, almost unbalancing him. "Oh, you know what it means," he taunted. "You're all worried about me, aren't you?"

"No."

"Hah, you are! You were worried I was going to die! Aw, Kai, that's so sweet of you!" Tyson crooned, gleefully. "My hero!"

"Very funny," Kai said, stalking off through the airy, light-filled halls of the dojo.

"Oh, Kai, come rescue me, I'm a beautiful damsel in distress…" Tyson cooed, trotting after him. "You can be my knight in shining armour! That'd be cool!"

"Maybe next time I _won't_ waste my time showing up," Kai suggested.

"Nah, we need to have someone around to spoil all our fun," Tyson told him, comfortably, catching up to him, steadying himself on Kai's arm for a brief moment. "Hey, you want anything to drink? We've still got loads of stuff left over from when everyone was staying over here. I think there's some orange juice in the kitchen."

"No thanks."

"Have it your own way. Hey, I just got the best idea! Come on, come on, come on!" He darted off into the TV room. "I _bet_ there's all kinds of stuff on the news about us," he explained, sinking down on to the sofa and fumbling around behind the cushions for the remote. "Maybe they'll show that interview with me! I hope they show bits of the battle, it was _awesome_, seriously…"

Kai sat down in the corner of the sofa, folding his arms carefully across his chest and sticking his legs out in front of him. The heaviness of his exhaustion seemed to come crashing down on him in an instant, so that he let a trembling sigh as he looked over at Tyson, who had located the remote and was now flicking through channels.

Tyson seemed to be feeling stronger, probably having gathered some strength from his short rest outside. It was amazing what he could bounce back from, Kai thought, feeling a strange mixture of grateful and jealous. A little thread of sadness inside him tightened, sending a flow of longing and resent through his stomach. Even now, he was bitterly, unceasingly envious of Tyson; but stronger than that, far, far stronger than that, was the friendship that Tyson had tried to give him.

"Here we go!" Tyson yelled, finding a sporting news programme. "Look, look, that's Daichi! Oh, and there's Max! Yay!"

Max's face was on the screen, lit up occasionally with bright, white light as a camera flashed, talking excitedly into several microphones. "…just a matter of time, and I think that what was important was that we did it together!" Was that all anyone could say? Kai wondered. Didn't they have anything _better_ to say?

"Look, it's you!" Tyson enthused, waving a hand in front of Kai's face and gesturing wildly at the TV before turning to gaze excitedly at the picture. "Oh, hey, it's me, too!" He drank in the few seconds' footage of the conversation the two of them had had earlier, practically bouncing off the sofa in excitement, Kai noticed fondly. "Cool, huh? We're heroes!"

As the programme cut to a commercial break, Tyson eased himself off the sofa and wandered off in the direction of the kitchen, whistling absently to himself – loudly, and very off-key. Kai stared after him, gazing at the empty air. He felt very light, almost boneless, and completely disorientated. He'd had one thing on his mind: to get Tyson to safety. Now that they were far away from the rest of the world, now that he knew Tyson would be alright, it all felt very pointless. He had the vague sense of being on the edge of things, of having come to the end of a very long road, and finding that it led off into dim nothingness.

"Look what I found!" Tyson called out, popping his head around the door and waving a large packet of crisps around, along with a cardboard carton of orange juice and mismatched pair of cups. He plopped back down onto the sofa and ripped open the bag, stuffing a handful of crisps into his mouth and crunching happily. "Have some!" he said to Kai, indistinctly, shoving the packet in his face.

Kai pushed the packet away.

"You've got to eat, you know!" Tyson reprimanded him. "You need to build up your strength!"

"With junk food?"

"Orange juice isn't junk food!" Tyson said, pouring some into a glass, sloshing a large amount of it onto the table top. "Here, drink up! It's full of minerals and things! Like…like calcium and all that stuff."

"I take it you mean vitamin C," Kai said, raising an eyebrow as he took the cup and began sipping at it slowly, his hands shaking slightly with tiredness.

"Hah, I _knew_ it began with a C!"

Kai leaned back as Tyson, growing bored with the news reports, began channel-surfing. He was suddenly lost for words, his mind wiped blank even of thought. He had fought Brooklyn as though it was the last battle he would ever fight; and he'd known, somehow, in the back of his mind, that it would cost him his life. It felt like he'd been preparing for that, almost subconsciously; he'd been preparing himself to let go of everything, to accept death calmly.

There had been only one problem with that.

He hadn't been able to let go of Tyson – and so he hadn't died.

The rest of his life didn't have a shape anymore; it was just a grey shadow, a cold blankness. There wouldn't be anymore Beybattles. Dranzer was gone. There wouldn't be anymore adventures, any stories, any memories. He knew that he was being ridiculous, but he couldn't fight it. He couldn't find anything else to do.

Tyson had just saved the sport of Beyblading, and now they were sitting in the dojo drinking orange juice as though none of it had happened.

It didn't make sense; it didn't fit. He was battling to understand it all, unable to take everything in. It was over. He could never blade again. Dranzer was gone.

Numbly, he leaned forward to set the empty glass down on the table, and felt as he did so the thing in the pocket of his long, heavy coat brush against his leg. A small trickle of warmth darted through him, filling him with a sharp and unexpected longing. Slowly, he glanced up at Tyson, who was now deeply involved in some movie or other, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, his chin cupped in his hand as he munched away.

Kai slouched even lower down on the sofa, leaning his head on the armrest so that he could watch Tyson, studying everything about him: his hair, mussed up and rumpled, his jacket, ripped and spattered with blood in some places, his eyes, golden and dark, fixed on the TV. He wanted to know Tyson, completely and perfectly; he wanted to have this memory, this moment, to last him for a long time. He wanted Tyson's warm, unwavering arms to hold him again. He wanted to touch Tyson, to be touched by him. For a long time now, Tyson had been all that had motivated him; for a long time, Tyson had been the only thing he'd considered worth fighting for.

Maybe Tyson was still worth fighting for.

Tyson turned, suddenly, as though he had felt Kai's gaze, and looked over at him curiously, their gaze meeting and holding. "What're you up to, huh?" Tyson asked, narrowing his eyes at him. "Looking at me all sneaky like that…"

Kai shrugged, raising one shoulder and letting it drop. Tyson stuck his tongue out at him, and Kai responded by giving a little sigh of scorn and looking away.

"Feels kind of weird, doesn't it?" Tyson asked, thoughtfully, after a little while. "It's like the end of the road, or whatever."

"I guess," Kai said. Suddenly feeling weirdly frightened, as though Tyson were going to slip away and leave him alone right at that moment, he added, keeping his voice carefully calm, "Tyson…I'm glad that you're alright."

Tyson looked as though the best thing in the world had just happened. There was one moment of confusion in which his mouth was just a little, surprised 'o', and then his entire face lit up. Kai, almost overwhelmed by Tyson's smile, grinned back crookedly, feeling himself melt, the tight, suppressed loneliness and pain dissolving into a shivering flood of unearthly warmth that saturated him with content.

"You weirdo," Tyson said, flapping a hand. "You always get so mushy when we save the world."

"We didn't save the world," Kai said, still lost in a rush of affection. "We beat up a bunch of nobodies who actually thought they stood a chance against us. Same old story."

"_No one_ stood a chance against you, man," Tyson said, breathlessly, his cheeks flushed, his eyes bright. "You were…unbelievable. I knew you'd take 'em down. I _knew_ you could. You can do anything."

"Get a grip."

"You _can_," Tyson persisted, earnestly.

"You're the one who defeated me," Kai reminded him, almost resentfully. Even now, he wanted desperately to have one last rematch – just one more chance. It wasn't _fair_. He knew he wasn't better than Tyson - but he wanted to be. He would have given almost anything to be able to call himself World Champion.

"Aw, that doesn't mean anything," Tyson said, peaceably. "It was just one battle, dude. There'll be others."

"Maybe."

"Don't give me that, man! There will be more! There have to be! I want another battle, OK? As soon as you're feeling better. Promise me! You've got to promise me!"

Kai knew that he couldn't. Dranzer had come home to him, but he no longer had a blade. He had been so sure that everything was going to end, that he was going to fight his last battle – and more than anything else, he had regretted the fact that that last battle hadn't been with Tyson…

"Kai? Hellooooo in there? Promise!"

All Kai could do was shake his head wordlessly, and reach up and push the bangs out of Tyson's face. He tucked away the strands of hair with steady, dreamlike care, before remembering something else. He reached into the pocket of his coat, and tugged out the hat.

"Dude, what're you…how'd you…hey, you stole my hat!" Tyson spluttered. "Wow, I thought I'd lost it!"

Kai said nothing. His fingers stiff, pain and sorrow shooting through him, he gently settled the hat on Tyson's head, feeling as he did so a terrible sense of loss. It was like setting Tyson free – it was his life, now. Kai no longer had a place in it. Those days were over.

"Hey, thanks!" Tyson burbled. "I got my hat back! Man, this is, like, the best day _ever_!"

"I hope you enjoy it," Kai told him, bleakly. "I hope…I hope you enjoy everything, Tyson…"

"Hey," Tyson said, putting a hand on Kai's shoulder and pushing him gently backwards so that his head was cushioned on the armrest of the sofa. "You quit stressing, alright? Come on. Take a breather for once."

"I'm fine," Kai said, habitually, trying to sit back up.

"No, you're _not_," Tyson insisted, and his voice almost broke, his eyes closing up.

"Tyson, get off – "

"Stop it!" Tyson shouted. "Stop acting all noble, you big dork! You're hurt, alright?"

Kai lay back, feeling a confusing mixture of far too many things: annoyance, guilt, concern, and above all gratitude that Tyson should be so concerned – but then he shouldn't have been surprised about that. Tyson was worried about _everyone_. He'd even tried to help _Brooklyn_ – even in the middle of Beybattle, he wanted to make sure that his opponent was alright.

Idiot.

"Don't worry about me," he said, quietly. "Don't complicate things, Tyson."

"I'm not complicating things!" Tyson snapped. "I thought you were going to die, OK? I was watching you in that battle, and I thought I was going to have to watch you die! Now just take it easy, alright?"

Kai looked up at him, into his golden, heart-shaped face, into the dark, tear-filled eyes, and suddenly couldn't keep it together anymore. He gave up, and let his eyes drift closed, so that he felt himself sinking into layered satin, into the green waters of a cool, starry ocean, the glittering light of rest filling him up from the inside with peace.

* * *

"…worry us to death!" 

"Sorry, Hil, I didn't mean to freak you guys out."

"Well, you did!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"You're completely irresponsible! You just run off like that and expect us to know where you are?"

"…no."

"I'm going to get you back for this, just you wait."

"Gah! You're…you're going to torture me! With chick flicks and cooking lessons!"

"I was thinking more along the lines of…oh, I don't know…_sewing_ lessons?" Sweetly.

"_Hilary!_ I'm a man! I'm tough and strong and…manly! I don't sew!"

"You will sew when I tell you to sew, whether you like it or not!"

Kai opened his eyes slowly to the sounds of the argument, realising that he'd been rearranged during his sleep so that he was lying on his back on the sofa, a blanket, heavy and warm and scratchy, tucked up under his chin. The walls and ceiling were stained a pale rose colour, coppery and soft, so Kai knew that it was late. He must have been sleeping for a few hours at least.

"…I would have thought Kai would have made you a little more responsible by now, but no…"

"Hey, don't blame Kai, alright? It was my fault. And can you at least keep it down? I don't want him to wake up - he gets all grouchy after he's been sleeping…"

"Oh, like he'd ever get mad at you, Tyson. The guy _adores_ you."

"He does not!"

"And you adore him."

"I do _not_! What are you trying to…? Hilary! What are you on about?"

A snicker. "Oh, nothing, nothing…"

Closing his eyes, Kai tuned out the sounds of their argument, and let himself drift away again, back into sleep.

* * *

…waah, me no likey. _(pouts)_

Why do they sell Easter eggs in January? No, really? Not that I'm complaining, or anything…

I'm back at school, it still sucks, and on Monday I have to hand in a thousand words (that I have yet to write) on why studying History now will be useful to me in my future career. Which would be great, except that I only chose it because it was the subject I was least likely to fail. Hee, what fun. Time to ramble…and I have no idea when I'll next be able to update this. Not for a while, anyway.

Review? You'll get Easter eggs if you do! (Unless I eat them all first, suckas. Nyaha XD)


	4. Four

Hello and welcome, dear friends! It's simply _marvellous_ to have you back with us again! Tea? Coffee? Purple goo? Your wish is my command!

Oooh, so lemme see what I've got lined up for you today, apart from pure pointlessness. First off, a thank-you to EVERYONE who reviewed. Love, happiness, peace, and all that cool stuff.

Secondly, the disclaimer: I own nuffin, puffin. Yay, save the puffins!

Thirdly, a warning: do not put on the Ring, Mister Frodo! Um, no, wait, wrong movie: oh, right – this contains shonen-ai.

…DUH.

**Four**

So I had to go see the doctor a couple times over the next few weeks about bruises and cuts and whatever stuff. I hate doctors. Look, no big deal, but they freak me out, OK? Geez. Just don't _ever_ let Daichi know that. Or Kai.

Hmpf.

Kai? Yeah, don't even _talk_ to me about _him_. Turns out he had _snuck out of hospital_ to come to see me blade against Brooklyn. Yeah, you read that right. Mr D went back with the other Demolition Boyz to see how Tala was getting on, and it turned out that everyone was going crazy 'cause Kai had disappeared from the ward where he'd been staying.

Who does that? No, seriously, who _does_ stuff like that?

Only Kai.

Man, there's something about that guy…when we first met him…I thought he was this mean, snobby jerk who was never gonna do anything nice, who was never gonna do anything except moan about how pathetic we were.

But something drew me to him – there was something in him that I wanted to have, something about him that I wanted to know. I wanted to understand him. I wanted to knock that stupid smirk right off his face and prove to him that he wasn't the only guy out there with a cool bitbeast and a bunch of fancy moves.

Kai…when he gets mad, it's scary. When he gets determined, it's like nothing and no one can ever stop him. He'll do whatever it takes. He'll just keep right on fighting, and he won't ever quit. Sometimes he goes away, sometimes he walks out on us and switches sides, but he always comes back when I need him the most.

You've got to admit that there's something special about him. He's so cold on the outside, so pale and withdrawn and frightening, and because of that most people think he's just this weirdo with an inferiority complex or whatever, but he's not. He's so much more than anyone or anything else I've ever known. On the inside he's alive, he's on fire with power, and that's what makes him special. There's so much about him I want to know.

It's weird how different things are now to how they were when we first started out together.

We were just kids back then. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, any of us. We agreed to be the Bladebreakers. We agreed to be a team. Next thing we know, we're zooming all over the world, winning championships, toppling evil organisations, combating freaky scientists, fighting for our lives. It was like something out of a story, you know? Like this totally awesome action movie that just kept going and going, and it was crazy and scary and _way_ too cool to be true all at once.

We were there at the middle of it all – the Bladebreakers. A team. A family.

I never had a big family. Hiro just disappeared, and my dad was always off all over the world, and my…well, you get what I'm tryin' say, right? I had Gramps, of course, but I dunno…I guess I would've liked to have a brother I could actually _talk_ to once in a while, or maybe even a baby sister or something. Although little kids get annoying.

So when me and Kenny and Max realised that we were gonna be on a team together with this guy Ray and that other freaky Kai dude…and when we got to be such good friends…and when we met all those people and we had such amazing times together…that was my second family, right there.

I kinda liked those days.

Even way back then, I knew that Kai was special. Yeah, I know what everyone says about him – that he's done bad stuff, that's he's disloyal, that he only looks out for himself. So the guy makes a couple wrong moves, so what? He proved himself a hero in the end, and _that's_ what's important.

OK, enough flashbacks. You get the idea.

Uh…

…what was I supposed to be telling you guys about again?

Oh, right, I remember now.

Kai was back in hospital.

And we were going to visit him.

* * *

The door was white. There was a little chart pinned to it with Kai's name handwritten on it, as well as the names of the two nurses who were in charge of looking after him. Below that was a bunch of printed stuff – rules of the hospital, visiting times, that kind of thing. The handle of the door was this dull silver colour, and the screws holding it were a bit rusty. Right at the bottom of the door, near the floor, there was…

"Are you going to stand there looking at the door the whole day, or are you actually going to go in?" Hilary asked, poking me in the shoulder.

"OK, OK, just give me a minute," I said, taking a deep breath. "Hil…are you _sure_ the flowers are a good idea?"

"Of _course_ they are, you big dummy," she said, impatiently. "_Everyone_ likes roses."

I stared apprehensively at the cellophane-wrapped bunch of flowers in my hand. "Kai's not everyone," I said, and even saying his name made my breathing catch. "Kai's…different. I mean, he's…different…and…"

"Doesn't mean he doesn't like roses," she interrupted. "Besides, roses stand for love. 'Specially red roses."

"But that's the point!" I wailed. My legs were getting a little shaky. What? I was nervous. "He'll think…he'll think I'm…Hilary, this isn't gonna work."

"Sure it is," she said, encouragingly. "We go in there, you hand him the flowers, you tell him how sorry you are that he's hurt and that you hope he feels better soon, and there you go! Piece of cake."

"But…_roses_? Geez, Hilary, I don't _love_ him…"

"Tyson, stop making lame excuses and open the door," she ordered.

"Can't you give him the stupid things?" I pleaded, feeling ready to run. How was I supposed to give him flowers? He'd think I was some kind of whacko stalker, and that would be too embarrassing to even _think_ about…

"Nuh-uh, no way, nothing doing," she said, firmly. Placing one hand in the small of my back and flinging open the door with the other, she pushed me forward into the room, calling out, "Oh, Kai! We're here!"

He was lying on the bed, his eyes were closed; one hand was folded across his stomach, the other lying stretched out on the sheets. He was so pale and still you could barely even see him breathing. He still had bandages everywhere, and one arm was hooked up with one of those needle things. An intravenous, or whatever you call it. I looked away from it. Call me crazy, but I don't like seeing my friends stuck full of tubes.

Then his eye opened, slowly, and his gaze met mine. I felt like I'd been hit in the stomach; my whole body was suddenly flushed with adrenaline, and I couldn't _breathe_ I was trembling so hard. I swallowed, feeling like a total loser. I mean, come on. What kind of guy walks around carrying _roses_? "Um," I began, starting to blush, my hands shaking, "we…um…y-you…"

"We came to see how you were doing!" Hilary said, brightly, grabbing my elbow and tugging me over to the bedside. Kai tilted his head to look up at us, his face expressionless. "And Tyson bought you some flowers!"

"Well, they were Hilary's idea, actually," I muttered, but she stomped on my foot to shut me up.

"_Tyson_ said he thought they'd brighten the room up a bit!" she said, happily. "Isn't that right, _Tyson_?"

"Yeah! Sure!" I said, rubbing the back of my neck, trying really hard not to look at Kai. Man, he must've thought I'd gone completely loopy… "So, I'll just…I'll just put them here, then." Hastily, I dumped them down on the bedside cabinet, the cellophane making a loud crinkling sound; they rolled off the edge, and Hilary had to catch them, glaring at me.

"I think I'll go find a vase for these," she said, cheerfully, cupping them carefully in her arms and skipping out of the room. "I'll just be a minute!"

Which left me alone with Kai.

Figures. She did it on purpose, of course. She'd been bugging me about having a…a 'thing' for him for _ages_, and it was totally ridiculous, 'cause I didn't, of course. She just likes embarrassing me.

I dragged my foot along the ground, totally unable to say anything. My face felt way too hot. After a really long time, I cleared my throat, took a deep breath, and said, "Hey - sorry about the flowers, dude…Hil said we should bring them, so…you know…"

"Whatever," he said, sounding bored. He'd closed his eyes, like he wasn't really interested in listening to me. "I don't mind."

"Right," I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets and blowing out a puff of air, shuffling my feet a little more. "Cool. So, uh…how're you doing?"

He jerked a shoulder noncommittally, and I rolled my eyes. "Yup, you must be doing great. You're just as grouchy as always."

"And you're just as predictable as always," he countered, smoothly, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"And you're just as mean as always," I shot back. Hey, at least we were actually talking now.

"And you're just as pathetic as always."

"Yeah, well, you, Kai, _you_ are clearly not right in the head!" I burst out.

"And why is that?" he enquired.

"Because…because, _hello_, you _broke out of hospital_! Dude, that is _not_ normal!"

"You got a problem with it?" he asked in a cool, dangerous voice, finally looking up at me with a defiant expression, his visible eye blazing.

"Yeah, I do! You…you…you didn't tell me," I finished, lamely. What was I supposed to do, yell at the guy? He'd done a dumb thing, but it had been a _nice_ dumb thing. I wasn't mad at him. How could I be? He was _Kai_.

"I didn't want you to know I was there," he said, calmly.

"Look, Kai…" I began, and stopped, not really sure what I was trying to say. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I said, uncomfortably, "Thanks, dude."

"For what?" he asked, shortly.

"For being there," I said, sounding _way_ too serious. "'Course, it was totally unnecessary!" I added, quickly. "I mean, we would've been just _fine_ without you. Haha, you're not _that_ special."

"Oh, _please_," he said, snorting. "I'd like to see the day when I _don't_ have to step in and save your sorry behinds."

"Oh, like we _ever_ needed _you_ around."

"Yeah, because you'd have managed _so_ well with just fluke and incompetence," he smirked.

"Hey, no fair! You take that back!" I squeaked.

"Give me one good reason why I should, and maybe I'll think about it."

"Grrr…you…you…" I narrowed my eyes at him. He stared back, haughtily. "There's only one way to decide this," I announced, finally. "You. Me. Thumb war. Now."

"…I don't think so."

"Yes, you do! We gotta prove that I'm right and you're wrong! I _challenge_ you, Kai, I _challenge_ you! It'll be the thumb war of the century!"

"You're an idiot."

"A titanic battle for the ages! It'll go down in history! I will be crowned the thumb war champion of the universe!" I flashed him a victory sign. "But don't worry, dude – I mean, you should be used to me kicking your butt by now."

He gave a little cough of disbelief, looking up at me, his single visible eye blazing. "You're gonna be sorry you said that," he said, grinning. "Just a friendly warning, Tyson: as soon as I'm out of this place it's gonna be you and me, one-on-one in the Beydish, and I'm taking you down."

"You wanna bet on that?" I asked, swiftly, moving a little closer to the bedside. "'Cause I'm willing to bet that by the time I'm through with you you'll be crying like a girl."

He gave a little puff of incredulous laughter, and was gonna say something, but the door was pushed open, and he stopped.

"Hey, I'm back!" Hilary said, walking in carefully. She was carrying a tall, glass vase half-filled with water, with the roses arranged loosely in it. "One of the nurses found this for me to use! Isn't that nice? She said she knows people never bring vases, so she makes sure that they have some lying around just in case…"

"Hey, thanks, Hil," I said, reaching out to take the vase, but she whipped it out of my grasp.

"Uh-uh-uh! I know you, Tyson. You'll break it in about a second."

"I will not!" I said, offended. "Give it here!" I snatched it out of her grasp and set it down firmly on the cabinet, making sure the water didn't spill. "Tada! See? See?"

"Alright, alright, you made your point."

"Yeah, who said I was clumsy?" I grinned, smugly, crossing my arms. "Don't even bother trying to mess with me, Hil. I am _so_ skilled."

She shook her head, sighing. "Sometimes I worry about you, Tyson."

Kai was chuckling, quietly. "Hey, you quit laughing," I said, and gave a huge fake sob. "I feel so alone…they're all laughing at me…nobody loves me anymore…"

"Cut it out," he said, looking up at me with a faint smile. "Act your age."

"OK! So, uh…hey, how old am I again?"

"You moron," he said. His eyes had creased up at the corners just the littlest bit, like he was all happy; and I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed out loud. My chest tightened a little, and I blushed; and he could _see_ I was blushing, and he just smiled, like he understood, like everything was OK…

I heard snickering in my ear, and turned to see Hilary looking very amused. "What's so funny?" I asked, feeling my face starting to get even warmer.

"Nothing's funny," she said, quickly. "Just…um, hey, Kai, we were going to ask you…"

"Oh, yeah, right," I said, remembering. "Kai, the guys said they wanted to come say goodbye before they had to leave, 'cause you know Ray's going home to China and all…is that gonna be OK?"

"Fine," he said, his eyes snapping shut again, his face expressionless.

"Cool! So they can come tomorrow?"

He nodded, silently.

"Hey, you kids!" a woman's voice said from behind us. Hil and me both looked around, and saw a nurse standing in the doorway. "Sorry, you two, but visiting hours just ended. I'm afraid you're going to have to go now."

"What? But – but it's only, like, four o'clock!" I sputtered. "We can stay here till five! I checked the visiting times and everything! Or…wait a minute…it is Thursday, right, Hilary?"

"Friday."

"…oh. Ahaha…oops…"

"I'm really sorry, but visiting hours did end at four," the nurse said, coming in and taking Kai's wrist, checking up on the intravenous. Kai ignored her. It looked almost like he was asleep. The nurse looked up at me, and gave me a quick smile. "Relax, sir…Tyson Granger, right? The World Champion Beyblader?"

"Hey, yeah!" I said, excitedly. "That's me! The one and only! Hey, you want an autograph, ma'am? They're free!"

"I think I'll pass on that," she said, laughing kinda tiredly. "Don't worry about your friend, alright? We're taking good care of Mr Hiwatari. He's doing just fine."

"You heard her, Tyson, let's get out of here," Hilary said, latching onto my arm and dragging me away. "We'll see you again tomorrow, Kai! We promise!"

"Hilary, let go!" I yelped. "Kai! We never had our thumb war! No fair!" I wriggled out of her grip, and dashed back to Kai's bed. He opened his eyes, frowning.

"We made you a get-well card, only I forgot about it," I said. "We figured you'd like it better than roses and stuff. And it's from all of us. And we made one for Tala, too! But the nurse said we couldn't visit him now, so we left it with her…and…um…well, here you go!" I tugged it out of my pocket, and winced. "Aaah, it got all crumpled up! Oh, man, I'm really sorry…"

He took it clumsily, his fingers stiff with bandages. He smoothed it out real careful, staring at the front, not opening it. "Thanks," he said, tonelessly, almost too softly for me to hear.

"You're welcome,"

It was weird to see him without his face-paint. Guess the hospital people had bullied him into taking it off. He was so pale his skin looked almost grey against the white pillow. A small, clear thought popped into my head, totally out of the blue: _you could touch his cheek_.

What would happen? Would he mind?

Just reach out, just put your hand against his face…

"Tyson, hurry up!" Hilary called from the door, and a strange, frightened expression crossed Kai's face.

"You're going?" he asked, urgently, his eyes boring up into mine.

"Uh…I guess," I said, my face burning. "But we'll be back tomorrow! Promise!"

"Really?" he checked, in a very low voice. He almost seemed embarrassed to be saying it.

"Cross my heart and hope to die!" I said, shakily, and gave a little nervous laugh, and raised a hand to my forehead, saluting.

He nodded, and swallowed, and his mouth twitched in the ghost of smile, and for a split second longer we stood there, kinda smiling goofily at each other…

…and all I was thinking was,_ I really hope my hair looks OK_…

And then Hilary yelled, "TYSON!"

I said, feeling a bit jittery, "Uh…well, y'know, I better get outta here…you know Hilary, she'll murder me or something, ahahaha…"

He nodded, but he didn't laugh; he just carried on gazing up at me.

"Bye," I said, but it came out as a sort of squeak, so I cleared my throat and tried again. "Goodbye," I said, firmly.

"Bye," he said, looking down at the card again, holding it gently, like he thought it was going to break. "Bye."

I could feel him watching me as I walked away. At the door I turned, mostly 'cause I just couldn't help it. I looked back once, over my shoulder, and gave him a small smile; and he lifted his hand, and waved back solemnly.

I waved back, feeling my heart swell with happiness and pride. I stood there a second more, beaming like a reject, not wanting to take my eyes off him, and then Hilary yanked me through the door, and closed it carefully behind us.

"You've got it _bad_," she said, giggling.

"What? For – for _Kai_?" I asked, snapping out of my little daydream world. "Aw, Hil, don't go all nutty on me now…"

"Don't give me that," she said, wagging her finger in my face with a superior smirk. "'Fess up. You are hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with - "

"Shh! He'll hear you!" I squeaked, clamping a hand over her mouth. She caught hold of it and pulled it down, and finished, very loudly,

" – in _love_ with _Kai_!"

"No! Hilary! Be quiet!" I yelped, grabbing her hand and tugging her away from Kai's ward, sprinting down the corridor before she could do anything else.

"Well, I'm _only_ trying to hook you guys up," she said innocently, as we came to a halt near the stairwell to catch our breath, her cheeks pink from running. She winked, and added, like I was an idiot, "Come on, Tyson, you're so obvious."

"You don't mean that?" I asked, panicking. "Am I really? Aw, man, you don't think he noticed anything or…gah, this is so embarrassing…"

"So you'll admit it, then?" she asked, her smirk widening. "There _is_ something?'

"I never said that!" I protested. "You're messing my words around."

"Actually, I'm reading between the lines," she said, like she was being all wise and clever. "Now, _if_ you don't mind, I'm starving, and _you_ are going to be a gentleman and take me out for something to eat."

"What? How come I always have to pay?"

"Because I am a lady and deserve to be treated as such," she said, sweetly, starting to walk downstairs. "Now get a move on, you."

"Fine, fine, but only 'cause I'm in a good mood," I warned her, jogging down the stairs to catch up with her. "And 'cause I'm such a gentleman."

* * *

Kai waited for the nurse to leave, and even then he looked at the card for quite a while before opening it. It was just an ordinary card, the sort you bought at a stationery store, colourful and cheery. It appeared to have a large orange cat wearing a multi-coloured party-hat and surrounded by fireworks and streamers on the front. He rolled his eyes, and decided that Max and Tyson had chosen it together.

He opened it at last. Around the printed words "Get well soon!" were handwritten messages: from everyone on the G Revolution team, and also from various other people, such as the F Dynasty and Barthez Battalion teams, and even from Mr Dickinson.

It took a long time for him to find Tyson's message, mostly because it was so short: just a huge smiley face drawn in sparkly gold ink, and underneath it the words _DUDE u betta get betta RIGHT NOW! From: Tyson the WORLD CHAMPION BEYBLADA!_

It was followed by a small, lumpy-looking heart.

He stared at it for almost a full half-hour, tracing over the writing with his finger time and time again, and smiling softly to himself as the light outside deepened, flooding the room with fire and honey.

* * *

Kai was at the hospital another week, and when he came out, he basically ended up staying with me. Gramps was cool with it; he's pretty much used to Kai by now. We set him up in the big empty room we always used to use for sleepovers and stuff. It made me feel a little upset, thinking about him all cold and lonely in that big ol' room. I wanted to move my things in there, too, so that we could have a kind of camp-out thing, but Kai said I didn't have to – which basically meant that he didn't want me to.

I don't know why he doesn't like hanging out with me. It makes me sad, a lot of times, because really I just wanna be around him. Sometimes it makes me think maybe he doesn't think I'm good enough for him, and that makes me want to first punch his stupid head in and then go off and cry. I mean, seriously, _why_ doesn't he like me? Heh, that sounded vain, but what's so wrong with me? With all of us? How come he's so dead set against being friendly to us?

So having Kai stay over…well, I guess in a way, it was like a dream come true. Aw, man, how corny does that sound? It's true, though. I _liked_ being able to see him everyday. I freak out when he's not around. I know it's pointless, but I can't help it. It's not like I think he can't look after himself. Maybe…maybe I need _him_. Maybe he's _my_ strength.

Uh…

Do me a favour?

Don't _ever_ tell him I said that.

Anyway.

It was the small things that made me happy. Waking up at the same time, eating the same brand of cereal, watching the same stuff on TV, arguing over who got the remote – all of it was forging a connection between us, however tiny. Doing normal, boring, everyday things together cemented our friendship, grounded it in reality.

That's all I've ever wanted – to be his friend. He's the most amazing guy I know. He's the coolest person in the whole entire _universe._ Every time I see him, I feel this huge rush of happiness, like everything's suddenly going to be alright. He's made me who I am. If it weren't for him, I'd never have won anything. I'd just be another kid, another face in the crowd.

He made me strong. He made me fearless. He made me want to fight back when I lost.

Kai's my best friend.

Kai's my hero.

* * *

Oooh, yesss, preciousss. _(waves sword around and accidentally demotes Gandalf to hobbit-status in the process)_ D

OK. Le Plot starts to exist _next_ chapter. Although really this is just a bunch of random snapshots all kind of strung together, so…yeah. _(dances like no one is watching, which is good because if they were they'd be scarred for life)_ Uh, updates? By Saturday. I think.

BOOYAH, FREE RINGS OF POWER TO ALL REVIEWERS! Each sold separately, batteries not included. _(runs off to rule the world)_


	5. Five

**Le Notes of Le Author:** Ah, my loverly, loverly reviewers, I wuff you all. Feeeel da wuff. 

**Warnings:** Shonen-ai, TyKa, and also a happily random game of hide-and-go-seek.

**Disclaimer:** Beyblade is still not mine, boys and girls. (hides behind nice seven-foot-tall bodyguard)

**Five**

"We're gonna have a party! We're gonna have a party!"

"Yo, what's goin' down, my dawgs? What's with all the commotion in motion?"

"Aaah! Tyson's on a…a…a rampage! Help!"

"Don't be such a wimp, Chief! C'mon! Hilary's gonna be here any minute and we haven't even tidied up the sitting room yet!"

"That's your problem! Why are you dragging me into this?"

"Don't blame me, you're the one who got here early."

"Tyson!"

Just so that everyone knows, balancing three boxes of pizza and a bottle of cooldrink and two bags of crisps is not easy. But we got them all into the TV room eventually. No puny pizza box is gonna stand in my way of having a good time.

By the time the Chief and me had gotten the place straightened out, the doorbell rang. Gramps went to answer it, and a few seconds later he ushered Hil into the room. "This little lady turned up lookin' for a party, my dudes! Guess my little homies are gonna want to try out some of my super-tasty old-time favourite snacks, huh? Yes sir, no shindig gets cookin' until I've done the cookin', you dig?"

"It's OK, Grandpa, we've got pizza," I said. "Don't worry."

"Hey, you want to join us, sir?" Hilary asked brightly, sitting down on the sofa next to Kenny. "We're going to watch some movies if you'd like to join in…"

"Aw, heck, no," he said, winking at her. "Nah, I ain't gonna crash this here knees-up o' yours. I'm a cool old cat, so don't you mini-dudes worry!"

"Um, OK, then, if you're sure…"

"Besides, I got me a hot date online just waiting for some oldschool romancin'! Rawr!" He winked, and strutted off out of the room whistling _My Heart Will Go On_.

I buried my face in a cushion. Why oh why oh why do I have to the crazy grandpa? "Yo, guys, you wanna erase all that from your memories?" I asked through the cushion.

"I wish I could," Hilary said, blushing furiously. "Tyson, your grandfather is dating someone online?"

"Ahem…several someones, actually," Kenny said, coughing.

"Excuse me?" I practically shrieked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I introduced him to this dating site, and, um, he's quite popular there, and, well, um…you know what the Internet is like, aha, ha…"

I started banging my head on the wall. The I stopped, cause it kind of hurt.

"Hey…what were you doing on a dating site?" Hilary asked Kenny, suspiciously.

"Th-th-that's none of your business!" Kenny spluttered, going as pink as a flamingo.

"Ooh, c'mon, Chief, spill!" Hilary giggled.

"Hehe, Kenny's got a girlfriend!" I sang. "So that's why you've been so tired…you've been staying up late chatting to your sweetheart online! Hahahaha…"

"I have not!" Kenny yelled. "I entered into several purely platonic relationships with fellow Beyblade enthusiasts! Alright? Argh, Tyson, would you quit laughing?"

"Yeehah, baby! Kenny the Love Machine is in the house!"

"TYSON!"

"Aw, relax, Chief, it was only a joke," I said, punching him in the shoulder and then reaching for a slice of pizza. "C'mon, dig in! Pizza time!"

"Uh…aren't we gonna wait for Kai?" Hilary asked, blinking.

"Kai went out," explained Kenny. I saw him glance nervously at me.

"…out?"

"Yes."

"Out where?"

"We don't know, and we don't care!" I said, loudly. "Who needs him, anyway? He'd just muck up all our fun, as usual."

"Tyson, don't get so worked up," Kenny said. "He left you a note, didn't he?"

"So he wrote a note, big deal," I grumbled, chewing furiously on a slice of pizza. "Not like he actually explained why he just upped and disappeared."

"Ooh, a note," Hilary teased, excitedly. "What did it say, huh?" She clasped her hands together, sighing. "Was it a confession of undying love?"

"Would you cut that out?" I yelped, almost choking. "'Cause it's not funny, Hil!"

"Oh, don't worry, Tyson, the Chief here knows all about your little thing for a certain Beyblader…"

"What? Chief, don't listen to her, she…she doesn't know what she's saying!" I spluttered. "She's got a fever or something - she's delirious…"

"Relax, Tyson, we're not going to tell him," Kenny said, patting my arm soothingly. "We just thought it might be fun to…ah, shake things up a little?"

"Not you, too!" I wailed. "What, is the entire world trying to hook me up with Kai or something?"

"No, just us," Hilary said, brightly. "And Max and Ray and Daichi the Brat, of course, once we tell them."

"What? You're gonna tell them? Oh, no way, I forbid you to say a single word about this to anyone else, or…or…or I'll never talk to you guys ever again!"

"Fine, we won't tell," Hilary relented, looking disgruntled.

"Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah, we promise, Mr Paranoid," she said. "Now, to business. Hand over that note."

"It's just a dumb old note," I said, drawing it out of my jacket pocket and passing it to them. Not that I was gonna be admitting it any time soon, but I'd already read it through about a bazillion times. When I'd woken up, and seen it on my pillow, seen my name written on it in his handwriting, and known that he must have been standing in my room, that he must have been so close to touching me…

"Wow, this is boring," Hilary said, sounding disappointed. "_I'm going out. Back by tonight. Kai._ Big deal."

"MING MING!" Kenny screeched, lurching forward and staring at the TV screen. "Looklooklooklooklook, it's her new video! Oh, bliss…oh, joy…"

"Turn that off, you," Hilary snapped, grabbing the remote. "We have more serious matters at hand."

"Oh, I'm in heaven…" Kenny whispered. "Only an angel could be so perfect…Hilary, no! Turn that back on!"

"Not until we've sorted this out," she said, firmly, dangling the remote out of his reach. "This is serious! We need to get these two together!"

"Why can't you try hooking me up with Ming Ming for a change?" he wailed. "Gah, please turn the TV on! I need to see that video! She's practically my _raison d'être_!"

"That is just pathetic, Chief."

"Hilary, I'm begging you!"

She ignored him and turned back to me. "So," she said, sweetly. "What're you gonna do about it?"

"Do about what?" I asked, blinking innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me, mister," she said. "Now. Step One in your plan of action to get together with him should be…?"

"Uh…running away from this creepy girl called Hilary who's trying to control my love life"  
"No! Flirt with him, you ninny!"

"Hil, no way!" I yelped. "Now c'mon, I think we should start watching the movie."

"But what about Kai?" Hilary persisted.

"Ah, he'll show up eventually," I said, getting up to turn the TV back on, seeing as Hilary was currently being the Dark Lord of the Remote. "You know him. He always turns up at the last moment."

"No, I mean what about you and Kai and…oh, hello, Kai, we were just talking about you"  
I spun round so fast I practically tripped over my own feet. Wait, correction: I did trip over my own feet. I twirled right around and landed on my butt.

Real smooth.

I looked up to see Kenny giggling, Hilary looking smug, and Kai standing in the doorway looking like he'd just walked in on a bunch of aliens. He looked down at me blankly, and then turned, like he was going to walk right out the door again. My stomach churned. "Wait! Kai!" I called. "Don't – I mean, d-d-don't you wanna watch the movie with us?"

"I'm gonna say 'no'," he said, and did that really annoying sneer-thingy that he does. A little warm shiver zipped down my spine.

"Kai, we never see you anymore!" I complained, scrambling up and grabbing his arm. He stiffened immediately. "You're always out the whole day! Where do you go, anyway?"

He shrugged.

"Alright, that settles it, you're watching the movie," I said, swinging him round and pushing him over to the sofa where I had been sitting. "You stay put, you got it? Chief, if he tries to go anywhere, you and Hilary…you tie him up, OK?"

"Ooh, that should be fun," Kenny said gleefully, rubbing his hands together. "Hehehe…"

"Don't even think about it," Kai warned, crossing his arms and sinking back into the sofa.

"Tada!" I whooped, finally finding the dumb tape. "OK, we press play, and badabing, badaboom…"

The VCR gave this sort of squelching, ripping sound, and then the TV screen started to snow.

"Well done," Kai muttered, and my stomach gave a little squirm.

"Aaah, Tyson, what did you do to it now?" Kenny asked in despair, getting up and pushing me aside to kneel next to the VCR.

"It's not my fault!" I complained, running my hands through my hair. "Dumb thing just went and died on me. Sheesh."

He just said, "Shhh!" and started poking around at the VCR.

"Hey, let the master work," Hilary said, beckoning me over to sit between her and Kai. "You know what he's like when he's around gizmos and gadgets and stuff."

"Sure, whatever," I said, faking a yawn. "So, Kai, what's up? Haven't seen you all day, man!"

"Is that so?" Kai asked, sounding bored. "Well, I see you survived without me."

"Awww, are you in a bad mood, Kai? Did a nasty bully steal your blanky and your teddy bear?"

"You don't expect me to answer that, do you?"

"Don't cry, Kai, I'm sure Mr Fluffy-Wuffy's safe."

"Ooh, who's Mr Fluffy-Wuffy?" Hilary asked, giggling.

"Mr Fluffy-Wuffy is Kai's teddy bear," I told her, nodding wisely. "They're best friends, and Kai _wuvs_ him!"

"Oh, that's adorable!" Hilary cooed. "I like a man who's not afraid to show his softer side."

"I don't have a teddy bear," Kai growled.

"You sure about that?" I asked, grinning cheekily and leaning over to rest my cheek on his shoulder, laughing up into his face.

"Yes, I'm sure, and if you don't get off me right now I'll – "

"Tyson, why is there chewing gum in your VCR?" Kenny asked despairingly.

"Oh, ewww!" Hilary shrieked. "Tyson, that's disgusting!"

"Don't blame me!" I protested. "I don't even like chewing gum! Blame Gramps! Blame – blame the hamster!"

"Uh, Tyson? You don't have a hamster," Hilary pointed out.

"…so?"

"Well, you're not going to be playing any videos on this poor machine tonight," Kenny informed us, glaring at me. "It's been tragically murdered."

"Ah, this stinks," I sulked, crossing my arms. "Now what're we gonna do?"

"Sit around and eat pizza, of course," Kai muttered. "Not like you know how to do anything else."

"Hey!"

"I have an idea!" Hilary proclaimed happily. "We'll play hide-and-go-seek!"

"WHAT?" Kenny and me said together.

"Better yet, we'll play…in the dark!" she said, excitedly.

"But…but…but…" I stammered.

"Oh, come on, guys, it'll be really fun!" she assured us.

"Hilary! Are you crazy?" Kenny screeched.

"Chief, don't tell me you still need to ask," I sighed.

"Clam up," she ordered. "Now get hiding!"

"But – "

She turned on me looking like she was in the middle of taking over the world or something. "Now," she said.

"Sheesh, Hil, breathe already," I said.

She grabbed me by the ear. "What did you say?" she hissed.

"Tyson, do what she says!" Kenny wailed.

"Fine! Fine! I'll do it! Hilary! I'll do it!"

* * *

'Course, I'd already come up with a totally brilliant hiding place. 

"The broom cupboard. Nice choice."

"Waah! Who…? Kai, you gave me a heart attack, you creep!"

"My bad." Dumb jerk was just leaning there against the wall of the corridor in the darkness. I hadn't even noticed him. Climbing back out of the cupboard, I turned and faced him suspiciously.

"What're you doing hanging around in the dark like that, anyway?" I asked.

"The same thing you're doing," he said, folding his arms. "Playing stupid games for no good reason."

"Aw, aren't you having fun, Mean Mr Kai?" I crooned, grinning secretly. Heh, looked like he was in a bad mood. When he's in a bad mood, I tease him. "Is Mean Mr Kai afwaid of the dark? It's alwight! Big, stwong Tyson will pwotect you!"

"Tyson, take my advice: don't act like a bigger fool than you already are."

"So, you found a hiding place yet?"

"No."

"Hello, dude, you're missing the whole point of the game! Hilary's gonna find you unless you hide!"

He just gave me a look. You know, the one that's all, 'I'm supposed to care?'

"Fine," I said. "Be that way. I'll hide, and you can stay out here all lonesome on your ownsome." Then I winked. "Or we could ditch this, find the Chief, and grab the rest of the pizza while Hilary's still looking for us! How's that for the master plan?"

He raised a shoulder briefly before letting it drop. "If you so desire."

"Or we could just stand around in the dark saying nothing."

"Yeah. We could do that."

"You know what's wrong with you?" I asked, crossing my arms. "OK, right, the part of your brain that's s'posed to have fun shrunk, and then the part of your brain that goes 'Ooh, I'm better than everyone else' got really, really big. So now you're totally mean to everyone and it's all 'cause of that! See, I figured it out! Your brain's weird!"

He snickered. "At least I have a brain."

"Wha - what's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think?"

"I'll get you! I mean it! I will!" I narrowed my eyes, and peered up into his face. In my best creepy stalker psychopath voice, I whispered, "Some day when you least expect it, just when you're nice and comfy with your life, just when you think everything's going well – I will find you! And then…well, that's when it comes to the fun part…"

"Tyson?"

"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

"Tyson, you're standing on my foot."

"Oh." I stepped back, rubbing my neck. "Hehe…oops. Uh, sorry 'bout that, man."

"I'll live," he said, kinda dryly, but with this little laugh hidden in his voice.

"Cool. So. You wanna hide, or you wanna do something fun?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"I dunno…dressing up as something really spooky and then scaring the living daylights out of Hilary? Or wait, she'd probably, like, karate chop us into next week…hey, how about we…"

I broke off. In the dark, I could hear footsteps coming down the hallway. A voice called, "Tyson? Oh, Tyson, I'm gonna getcha!"

"Oh, great, it's Hilary!" I squeaked, looking around for a hiding place.

I found one.

Grabbing Kai's arm, I yanked him across and into the cupboard, carefully closing the door behind us.

"Tyson? I know you're round here somewhere! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Hilary's voice got louder.

"Just - don't - say anything," I muttered to Kai.

"Now look who's talking," he grumbled into the dark.

Gradually, we heard her footsteps fading.

"See? My quick-thinking and brilliant wit outsmarted her!" I said. "You gotta admit it, Kai. I own this game. I'm the hide-and-go-seek master."

"I think your medication needs adjusting."

I found a torch and flicked it on, holding it under my face. "Guess what, Kai?" I whispered, crossing my eyes. "I'm your worst nightmare!"

I heard a rustling sort of thump from his end of the cupboard. In the dim torchlight I could kind of see him shifting uncomfortably. "Why is there a box of party hats in here?" he asked, crossly, pulling a large, flat cardboard box out from underneath him.

"Hey, cool! Those must be the ones left over from my last birthday party!" I said. "Yo, hand 'em over, dude!"

He chucked the box at my head.

"Ow!"

"Heh."

"No fair!" I wailed, rubbing my eye, dropping the torch to the floor. "That hurt!"

"Deal with it, Tyson. Or, alternatively, go cry your little kiddy eyes out. Not like I care either way."

I sighed. "You're still in a bad mood?"

"Seeing as I'm stuck in a cupboard playing kids' games with a lunatic, I'd say yes, I am in a bad mood. Sue me."

"Well, then, this should cheer ya up!" I said, brightly, jamming a party hat on my head, snapping the elastic under my chin. "_Happy birthday to yooooou, happy birthday to yooooou..._"

"It's not my birthday, you idiot."

_"Happy birthday, dear Grumpy Face! Happy birthday to you!"_

He picked up the torch and clicked it off.

"Aaah! Help! I can't see!" I wailed.

"Never expected you to be scared of the dark, Tyson," he said, and his voice was mocking.  
"I am not! I just like being able to see you!" I blinked, and then snickered. "Ouch, that came out wrong." Man, I was glad it was dark…I was probably blushing like crazy. Still, no harm trying to cover it up with a joke, right? Laughing like it was the funniest thing ever, I said, "Uh…sorry, man, sorry, I mean, I know you probably think I'm good lookin' and all, and maybe I've been leading you on a bit, but I just don't see you in that way…"

"Only someone as stupid as you would find that funny."

"I mean, I'm sure you'll meet the right guy for you some day…and we can still be friends..."

"Shut up!" he shouted.

"Alright, alright…" I muttered. "Sheesh…"

After that there was a whole lotta silence.

I was locked in a small, dark closet with the guy who is only the hottest thing this side of the Sahara.

Kinda sucked that he was sitting on the other side being all grouchy and huffy.

Real quietly, I started singing, "_Happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo…"_

He gave this strange, trembly jerk of laughter and said, "Don't even think about finishing that."

_"You look like a monkey, and you smell like one too!"_

"Nice," he said. "What's next? Sing-along songs with the world's biggest freakshow?"

"I am not a freakshow!" I protested. "Except for, y'know, my freakishly good looks. And _wow_, all this _raw, masculine power_ of mine! I've gotta be off the charts for freakish! I mean, lookin' as good as I do – that's just not normal, dude."

"Correction: you're the world's most obsessed egomaniac," he said.

"Oh, Kai! It's so nice to know I have a fan!"

"Don't get used to it," he snapped.

More silence.

_Flirt with him, you ninny._

Oh, yeah, right, Hil, you try flirting with the guy who could beat Darth Vader for first prize in a scariness competition.

I could just see a dim outline of him in the tiny cracks of light that fell between the hinges of the door. Carefully, crawling over a bucket, a mop, and a whole lot of other freaky stuff that was lying around, I managed to scooch right up in front of Kai. Time to turn on the ol' Tyson charm. "So," I said, acting real smooth, my voice all breathy. "Watcha do today…Kai?"

"Things."

"OK, well…" I paused, and said, meaningfully, "What kind of…things?"

"You sound like a moron," he said. "And for your information, I did extremely boring things."

"Oh, like what, blowing up a continent?" I asked, huffily. Not fair. No way could he resist my awesome flirtation-power. No way.

"No, like working out where I should bury the body of the next pea-brained idiot who gets on my nerves."

"Sounds like fun! So, um, where are you gonna bury the body?"

"Is there any reason why you're trying to drive me insane?"

"Kai! I'm just talking," I moaned. So much for flirting, Hilary. Move over girly stuff, I'll stick with guy talk. "Hey, I can't wait till we can start Beyblading again. It'll be so cool!"

"So you find losing cool?" he asked, and laughed.

"No, I find wiping the stadium floor with you cool."

"My, aren't we full of ourselves?"

"Hey hey hey, you remember when you and your little gang kidnapped the Chief?" I asked. "You sure you're not a member of the Russian Mafia or somethin'?"

He said, "Hmpf."

"And remember when you lost to Johnny?" I goaded, snickering.

"I remember when you lost to Robert."

"Hey, I kicked his butt in the end!" I protested.

"You sure took your sweet time about it," he muttered.

"Eh, better late than never, right?"

"Wrong."

"Yup, those were the days, my friend," I said, grinning into the darkness. "Heh…it was like something from a movie or a book or something. Like…like the stuff you dream about. You know how you look back and it all seems better? Like maybe things were easier when you were a kid? Before all the bad stuff happened, before things started getting difficult – you know what I mean?"

"Yeah."

"Like all the good stuff is over."

"It's not over," he said, forcefully. "Don't you ever think that it is. There's always more to work for, Tyson. There's always something else. You of all people should understand that."

"I do," I said, biting my lip. "I…I do, Kai. I know what I'm fighting for."

He said, in the weirdest voice I've ever heard him use, "So do I."

There was silence again, only this time it was really uncomfortable silence, like we both wanted to say something, only neither of us could find anything right. Feeling really awkward, I said, trying to make it sound light, "Wow, feels like I haven't had a good Beybattle in forever."

He didn't say anything.

"Seeing as, like, there's really been no one around to blade against."

Still nothing.

I added, "I kinda miss Beyblading against you."

"How come?" he asked. Hey, a break-through. The guy said something.

"It's my favourite thing in the world, dumbo-head. Duh."

"But…with…me?" he asked, and I swear I heard him swallow.

"Sure," I said, trying to sound breezy. "I like you. We're tight, man, you know that. And…you're incredible."

Another super-sized silence. Then he said, "What do you mean by that?"

"Hey, I think we could probably get out of here now," I said, brightly, trying to avoid answering that little question. "Hil's probably gone…"

He caught hold of my arm. Goosebumps erupted all over my body, and I started to shake, suddenly breathless. He said, levelly, "What do you mean by that?"

I felt like punching myself in the head. "Nothing, nothing. I just think you're a really cool Beyblader, that's all."

"Oh," he said, and let go of my arm. He sounded almost disappointed.

"And…well…I look up to you a lot…a bit," I added, trying to cheer him up a bit. "We all do. Haha, I bet you there's loads of little kids out there who think you're, like, the greatest blader ever."

"You're…you're the greatest," he said, his voice strained. "You won. You beat me."

"Ah, Kai, quit flatterin' me, you old charmer!" I teased. "You know you're a hundred times better than I'll ever be."

"Stop it!" he shouted suddenly, and I heard him bang his fist against the side of the closet. "Stop saying things like that!"

"Things like what, Kai?" I asked, a little weirded out. "Things like what?"

"Don't you _dare_ say things like that about yourself! You defeated me, Tyson! You're the only one – you're the only one in my whole _life_…you're better than me, and you defeated me and you ruined me, and you sit there saying _I'm _better than you?"

"Oh, so, what, now I'm not allowed to give you a compliment? Geez, dude, chill."

"It's not about me! It's about you! How many times have you made me look like a rookie? You took my title! I can't – I want – you…" he trailed off.

Oh, great. Now he hated me. Now he hated me for beating him. Great. "Look, I'm sorry, OK? But we're still pals, right, and Kai – I – you don't know how much you mean to me, man. If I had to choose anyone else to be Champion, it would be you. I want you to be the best! You deserve it – "

"Don't say that!" he shouted, his voice almost cracking. "I don't want you going easy on me! When we have our rematch, I want it to be the hardest battle I've ever fought. I want it to be the ultimate test. I want you to be my greatest rival! No one else - just you. I _want_ it to be you!" I could hear his breathing. It was hard and quick. "I'm only ever going to ask you one thing. I'm going to ask you to promise me that you'll always be my greatest rival - my ultimate challenger."

"Kai…"

He caught hold of my arm again, only way harder than before. In a harsh, commanding tone, he said, "Listen to me. I want you to swear that you'll always fight me with everything you have." His nails were digging into my arm really hard. It hurt. "That's all I'll ever ask you for, Tyson. Just promise me that. It's all I'll ever ask you for."

"Hello? You don't need to _ask_! Dude, don't you get it? Don't you get how hard I've tried to be strong enough for you?" I shouted, getting really mad now, my heart going like a jackhammer. My breathing caught, and I had to swallow hard before I could say, brokenly, "I'd give anything, Kai. I'd give _anything_ to be like you."

"Don't you know how hard _I've_ tried to be strong enough for you?" he roared back, furiously. "I gave up everything for you. I've spent three years of my life trying to defeat you! _You!_ Always you, Tyson! Don't you see? _You're the only one I want!"_

I swear I couldn't breathe. I was shaking so hard I couldn't think straight. He couldn't mean that…he didn't mean any of it…there was no way…Kai…oh, Kai…

His hand was shaking as his nails cut into my arm. I reached up and covered his fingers with my own, squeezing his hand so tightly. I couldn't see him; I could only hear his breathing, rough and uneven. Our faces were so close together that I could feel his warmth on my cheek. My lips were dry. His forehead touched mine, and then our noses bumped. I said, still shaking, "You…"

Gramps chose that moment to open the closet door.

"HOLY MILKSHAKE-FLAVOURED BIKINIS!"

* * *

OK, it did look kinda bad. You know, what with me practically sittin' in Kai's lap. And with Kai clutching at my arm and yelling about how I was the only one he wanted. And with us being locked in a dark closet together. 

Gramps clonked me over the head with his kendo stick. "You! Squirt! Keep your hands to yourself, ya dig? And as for you, Kai-man, I'd like to know just what in the name of all that is good and groovy and legal you were doing making out with my little dude in a closet!"

"We weren't making out, Gramps!" I wailed, blinking in the glaring light and scrambling away from Kai, who was blushing, his eyes glued to the floor. Heh. Made him look kinda cute…wait, Tyson, this is not the time. "We were arguing!"

"I know oldschool porno action when I see it!" Gramps roared, waving his kendo stick in the air. I covered my head with my hands. Hey, the man's a danger to the survival of civilisation when he gets worked up. "This here is one heck of a steamy love scene!"

"What are you talking about?" I yelled from behind my fingers, backing up into a corner. "Kai was being a jerk and I was telling him to cut it out! We were just playing hide-and-go-seeeeeeek!"

"You may think you can pull the wool over my eyes, buckaroo," he said, narrowing his eyes at me, "but my main man Mr D from the ol' BBA-whatzit told me that he was sniffin' out some hormonal doodads getting all active-like, and he told me personally that you two were hot for each other! And you listen here, kiddo, I don't care what you do or who you do it with, but it ain't happenin' in my hallway closet while I'm in the middle of chattin' to Temptress69 on the 'net!"

"Aaah! _Mr Dickinson?_ What did he say? How does he know about - ? No! I mean, we are not hot for each other! Kai! C'mon, man, back me up here! Tell him this is crazy!"

Kai said, "Whatever." He got up and strode off.

"Kai?" I called. "Kai? Dude! Wait up!" I scrambled to my feet, but Gramps poked me in the chest.

"Hold your horses, Romeo," he said. "I'm a-sensing some bad vibes heading our way from the Kai-man."

"Yeah, well, that's just 'cause he's Kai," I muttered. "Gramps, I swear, we weren't doing anything!"

"Hmm? Well, now, my little teenager-shaped dude, I always said it was fine and dandy to take your sweet, sweet time when it comes to these relationship doohickeys…"

"I am not in a relationship with Kai!" I wailed.

"Oh, yeah?" Hilary asked, sidling up to me out of nowhere and elbowing me in the ribs. She smiled sweetly at Gramps, and said smugly to me, "That'll change. That'll change."

* * *

Urgh, I'm sorry I haven't been updating…my computer went bye-bye and I've been having to sneak time on my mom's. But it's all fixed now so I should be getting stuff posted sooner. In theory.  
Yay, free glow-in-the-dark Tyson plushies to all reviewers! Teehee. 


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